Modular display apparatus and method for controlling thereof

ABSTRACT

A modular display apparatus may include a docking station having a plurality of spaces; a plurality of back plates provided in the plurality of spaces; a plurality of power boards provided on the plurality of back plates, each power board of the plurality of power boards including an interface including a plurality of pins; a plurality of display apparatuses connected to the interfaces of the plurality of power boards and mounted in the plurality of spaces; and a processor

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

This application is based on and claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2020-0065018, filed on May 29, 2020,in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which isincorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

BACKGROUND 1. Field

The disclosure relates to a modular display apparatus and a controlmethod thereof, and more particularly, to a modular display apparatusconfigured to display an image through a plurality of displayapparatuses and a control method thereof

2. Description of Related Art

With the development of electronic technology, various electronicdevices have been developed. Recently, a modular display apparatusconfigured to display an image through a plurality of displayapparatuses has been particularly developed.

Such a modular display apparatus may provide visual satisfaction to auser by displaying an image through a large screen in which a pluralityof display apparatuses are combined.

The modular display apparatus is an apparatus configured to display asingle image through a plurality of display apparatuses. Coordinatesetting is typically required for each display apparatus because it isnecessary to divide the image into a plurality of images correspondingto each display apparatus, and to display the divided plurality ofimages based on coordinate information of the plurality of displayapparatuses.

For this operation, a related art modular display apparatus setscoordinates of a plurality of display apparatuses based on a user inputfor setting coordinates. However, this causes inconvenience in that theuser has to set coordinates of all display apparatuses one by one, andin particular, it is difficult in reality for a general user who is notan expert to set the coordinates of the display apparatus.

SUMMARY

Provided are a modular display apparatus configured to set coordinatesof a plurality of display apparatuses without a user input, and acontrol method thereof

Additional aspects will be set forth in part in the description whichfollows and, in part, will be apparent from the description, or may belearned by practice of the presented embodiments.

According to an aspect of an example embodiment, a modular displayapparatus may include a docking station having a plurality of spaces; aplurality of back plates provided in the plurality of spaces; aplurality of power boards provided on the plurality of back plates, eachpower board of the plurality of power boards including an interfaceincluding a plurality of pins; a plurality of display apparatusesconnected to the interfaces of the plurality of power boards and mountedin the plurality of spaces; and a processor. A plurality of first areasof the plurality of power boards includes a plurality of conductivemembers. Different signals are applied to at least one pin of theplurality of pins according to whether electrical contact exists betweenthe plurality of conductive members provided in the plurality of firstareas and a plurality of second areas of the plurality of back platescorresponding to the plurality of first areas. The processor isconfigured to control the plurality of display apparatuses based on asignal applied to the at least one pin included in the respectiveinterfaces. Remaining pins other than the at least one pin included inthe respective interfaces are configured to provide power to respectivedisplay apparatuses connected to the respective interfaces of the powerboards.

Based on a conductive member provided in a first area among theplurality of first areas of a power board being in electrical contactwith a second area among the plurality of second areas of a back platecorresponding to the first area, a low signal is applied to a pinelectrically connected to the conductive member provided in the firstarea among the at least one pin. Based on the conductive member providedin the first area among the plurality of first areas of the power boardnot being in electrical contact with a second area among the pluralityof second areas of the back plate corresponding to the first area, ahigh signal is applied to the pin electrically connected to theconductive member provided in the first area among the at least one pin.

The plurality of first areas of the back plate are configured to beconnected to a ground. In an absence of electrical contact, a voltagegreater than zero is applied to the at least one pin, and in a presenceof electrical contact, a voltage of zero is applied to the at least onepin as the at least one pin that is connected to the ground.

Areas of the plurality of back plates in electrical contact with theplurality of conductive members of the power board is different for eachback plate of the plurality of back plates according to a location of aspace in which the back plate is provided in the docking station.

A plurality of transmission boards connected to the plurality of powerboards and the processor, the plurality of transmission boards beingconfigured to transmit respective images to the plurality of displayapparatuses. The signal applied to the at least one pin is transmittedto the processor through the plurality of transmission boards. Theprocessor is configured to transmit a respective image signalcorresponding to a respective location of a respective space in whicheach respective display apparatus is mounted in the docking stationbased on a respective applied signal to the respective displayapparatuses through the plurality of transmission boards. Each displayapparatus of the plurality of display apparatuses is configured todisplay a respective image based on the respective image signal receivedfrom a respective transmission board.

The image displayed by each display apparatus of the display apparatusesbased on image signals received from each transmission board of theplurality of transmission boards is a partial image corresponding to alocation of a space in which each display apparatus is mounted in thedocking station among the images displayed through the plurality ofdisplay apparatuses.

The processor is configured to, based on a signal change occurring inthe at least one pin of the plurality of pins as the display apparatusis connected to the interface, supply power to the display apparatusconnected to the interface of the power board through the remainingpins.

The processor is configured to, based on a low signal being applied tothe at least one pin as the display apparatus is connected to theinterface, supply power to the display apparatus connected to theinterface of the power board through the remaining pins.

The processor is configured to electrically connect to the plurality ofpower boards through a plurality of connectors, based on the signalapplied to the at least one pin, acquire location information of theplurality of power boards electrically connected to the plurality ofconnectors, and transmit signals for controlling the plurality ofdisplay apparatuses connected to the interfaces of the plurality ofpower boards to the plurality of display apparatuses through theplurality of connectors based on the location information.

The processor is configured to based on the location information,transmit an image signal corresponding to a location of a space in whicheach display apparatus is mounted from the docking station to aplurality of transmission boards, and each display apparatus of theplurality of display apparatuses is configured to display images basedon the image signal received from each transmission board of theplurality of transmission boards.

According to an aspect of an example embodiment, method of controlling amodular display apparatus may include identifying a signal applied to atleast one pin of a plurality of pins included in respective interfacesof a plurality of power boards; and based on the signal applied to theat least one pin, controlling a plurality of display apparatusesconnected to the respective interfaces of the plurality of power boards.The modular display apparatus may include a docking station having aplurality of spaces; a plurality of back plates provided in theplurality of spaces; and the plurality of display apparatuses connectedto the respective interfaces and mounted in the plurality of spaces. Theplurality of power boards are provided on the plurality of back plates.A plurality of first areas of the plurality of power boards includes aplurality of conductive members. Different signals are applied to the atleast one pin of the plurality of pins according to whether electricalcontact exists between the plurality of conductive members provided inthe plurality of first areas and a plurality of second areas of theplurality of back plates corresponding to the plurality of first areas.Remaining pins other than the at least one pin included in therespective interfaces are configured to provide power to the respectivedisplay apparatuses connected to the respective interfaces of the powerboards.

Based on a conductive member provided in a first area among theplurality of first areas of the power board being in electrical contactwith a second area among the plurality of second areas of a back platecorresponding to the first area, a low signal is applied to a pinelectrically connected to the conductive member provided in the firstarea among the at least one pin. Based on the conductive member providedin the first area among the plurality of first areas of the power boardnot being in electrical contact with a second area among the pluralityof second areas of the back plate corresponding to the first area, ahigh signal is applied to the pin electrically connected to theconductive member provided in the first area among the at least one pin.

The plurality of first areas of the back plate are configured to beconnected to a ground. In an absence of electrical contact, a voltagegreater than zero is applied to the at least one pin, and in a presenceof electrical contact, a voltage of zero is applied to the at least onepin as the at least one pin that is connected to the ground.

Areas of the plurality of back plates in electrical contact with theplurality of conductive members of the power board is different for eachback plate of the plurality of back plates according to a location of aspace in which the back plate is provided in the docking station.

The method may include transmitting a respective image signalcorresponding to a respective location of a respective space in whicheach respective display apparatus is mounted in the docking stationbased on a respective applied signal to the respective displayapparatuses through a plurality of transmission boards. Each displayapparatus of the plurality of display apparatuses is configured todisplay a respective image based on the respective image signal receivedfrom a respective transmission board of the plurality of transmissionboards.

The image displayed by each display apparatus of the display apparatusesbased on image signals received from each transmission board of theplurality of transmission boards is a partial image corresponding to alocation of a space in which each display apparatus is mounted in thedocking station among the images displayed through the plurality ofdisplay apparatuses.

The supplying power comprises, based on a signal change occurring in theat least one pin of the plurality of pins as the display apparatus isconnected to the interface, supplying power to the display apparatusconnected to the interface of the power board through the remainingpins.

The supplying power comprises, based on a low signal being applied tothe at least one pin as the display apparatus is connected to theinterface, supplying power to the display apparatus connected to theinterface of the power board through the remaining pins.

The method may include based on the signal applied to the at least onepin, acquiring location information of the plurality of power boardselectrically connected to a plurality of connectors, and transmittingsignals for controlling the plurality of display apparatuses connectedto the interfaces of the plurality of power boards to the plurality ofdisplay apparatuses through the plurality of connectors based on thelocation information.

The transmitting comprises, based on the location information,transmitting an image signal corresponding to a location of a space inwhich each display apparatus is mounted from the docking station to aplurality of transmission boards. Each display apparatus of theplurality of display apparatuses is configured to display images basedon the image signal received from each transmission board of theplurality of transmission boards.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other aspects, features, and advantages of certainembodiments of the present disclosure will be more apparent from thefollowing description taken in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings, in which:

FIG.1A is a view illustrating a display apparatus according to anembodiment;

FIG. 1B is a view illustrating a pixel of a display apparatus accordingto an example embodiment;

FIG. 1C is a view illustrating a modular display apparatus to which adisplay apparatus according to an embodiment is provided;

FIG. 1D is a view illustrating a modular display apparatus displaying animage according to an embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a modular display apparatusaccording to an embodiment;

FIG. 3 is a view illustrating a modular display apparatus according toan embodiment;

FIG. 4 is a view illustrating a back plate according to an embodiment;

FIG. 5 is a view illustrating a power board according to an embodiment;

FIG. 6 is a view illustrating a table in which information aboutdifferent spaces is matched for each combination of a low signal and ahigh signal according to an embodiment;

FIG. 7 is a view illustrating a power transmission flow according to anembodiment;

FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating a modular display apparatusaccording to an embodiment; and

FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating a method of controlling a modulardisplay apparatus according to an embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The terms used in the disclosure and the claims are general termsselected in consideration of the functions of the various exampleembodiments of the disclosure. However, such terms may be varieddepending on an intention of those skilled in the art, a legal ortechnical interpretation, an emergence of a new technology, and thelike. Also, there may be some terms arbitrarily selected by anapplicant. Such terms may be construed according to meanings defined inthe present specification, and may also be construed based on generalcontents of the present specification and a typical technical concept inthe art unless the terms are not specifically defined.

In describing example embodiments, detailed description of relevantknown functions or components may be omitted if it would obscure thedescription of the subject matter.

Further, embodiments of the disclosure will be described in detail belowwith reference to the accompanying drawings, but the disclosure is notlimited by the embodiments.

Hereinafter, certain embodiments will now be explained in detail withreference to the accompanying drawings.

FIGS. 1A and 1D are views illustrating a display apparatus, according tovarious embodiments.

The display apparatus 100 according to an embodiment may include onedisplay module or a plurality of display modules.

Referring to FIG. 1A, a display apparatus 100 according to an embodimentof the disclosure may include four display modules 131 to 134. Here,each of the display modules 131 to 134 may be connected to form a singledisplay.

Each of the display modules 131 to 134 may be implemented as a lightemitting diode (LED) display module including an inorganic LED.

Specifically, referring to FIG. 1B, each of the display modules 131 to134 may be implemented as an LED display module including a plurality ofLEDs 11 that implement sub-pixels of a red LED, a green LED, and a blueLED as one pixel.

The plurality of pixels may be arranged in a matrix form (e.g., M×N,where M and N are natural numbers). Specifically, the matrix may be inthe form of a rectangular arrangement (e.g., M=N, where M and N arenatural numbers, a 16×16 arrangement, 24×24 array, etc.), as well as adifferent arrangement (e.g., M≠N, where M and N are natural numbers).

For example, the LED of the LED display module according to anembodiment of the disclosure may be implemented as a micro-LED. Themicro-LED may be an LED having a size of about 5 to 100 micrometers, andmay be a micro-light emitting device that emits light without a colorfilter.

An LED display module is only an embodiment, and the display module maybe implemented as a liquid crystal panel (LCD), an organic LED (OLED),an active-matrix OLED (AMOLED) panel, a plasma display panel (PDP), orthe like. Hereinafter, for convenience of description, the displaymodule according to an embodiment of the disclosure is described asbeing an LED display module.

Referring to FIG. 1A, the display apparatus 100 according to anembodiment of the disclosure may be implemented in a form in which aplurality of display modules 131 to 134 are combined in a 2×2 array.

However, the 2×2 array of LED display modules is only an embodiment, andthe arrangement type and number of LED display modules may be variouslychanged according to other embodiments.

The display apparatus 100 may be mounted (or coupled) to a dockingstation of the modular display apparatus 1000. For this operation, thedisplay apparatus 100 may include a mounting unit that is configured tomount to the docking station. The mounting unit is made of a magneticmaterial, and the display apparatus 100 may be mounted on the dockingstation through a combination of the mounting unit and the magneticmaterial of the docking station. As an example, the magnetic materialmay be included in an outer edge of the display apparatus 100, but isnot limited thereto.

In addition, the mounting unit including a magnetic material may bemounted on the docking station of the modular display apparatus 1000through various types of mounting units such as a screw-type mountingunit, a slice-type mounting unit, or the like.

A plurality of display apparatuses 100 of the disclosure may beprovided, and the plurality of display apparatuses may be mounted on thedocking station divided into a plurality of spaces.

Accordingly, the embodiments of the disclosure may implement the modulardisplay apparatus 1000 equipped with a plurality of display apparatuses100. The modular display apparatus 1000 may be referred to as a walldisplay or a video wall.

For example, referring to FIG. 1C, the embodiments of the disclosure mayimplement the modular display apparatus 1000 in which a plurality ofdisplay apparatuses 100-1 to 100-4 are mounted on the docking station ina 2×2 array. The modular display apparatus 1000 having a 2×2 array isonly an embodiment, and the arrangement type and number of the displayapparatuses may be variously changed according to other embodiments.

The modular display apparatus 1000 may display an image through adisplay module included in each of a plurality of display apparatuses.The image may be an image received from an external device (e.g., aset-top box, a computer, a server, etc.), or an image previously storedin the modular display apparatus 1000.

Specifically, a processor included in the modular display apparatus 1000may transmit an image signal corresponding to each display apparatus tothe plurality of display apparatuses, and the plurality of displayapparatuses may display an image based on the received image signal.Accordingly, as illustrated in FIG. 1D, the modular display apparatus1000 may display an image through the plurality of display apparatuses.

The display apparatus 100 of the disclosure is one of the plurality ofdisplay apparatuses constituting the modular display apparatus 1000 andmay be referred to as a sub-screen or a cabinet.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a modular display apparatusaccording to an embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 2, a modular display apparatus 1000 according to anembodiment of the disclosure may include a first display apparatus100-1, a second display apparatus 100-2, an N-th display apparatus100-n, and a docking station 200.

The docking station 200 may be divided into a plurality of spaces.Specifically, the docking station 200 may be divided into a plurality ofspaces in which the plurality of display apparatuses 100-1 through 100-nmay be mounted.

For example, referring to FIG. 3, the docking station 200 may be dividedinto four spaces in which four display apparatuses 100-1, 100-2, 100-3,and 100-4 may be mounted. In this case, a first display apparatus 100-1may be mounted in a first space (e.g., an upper left space) of thedocking station 200, a second display apparatus 100-2 may be mounted ina second space (e.g., an upper right space), a third display apparatus100-3 may be mounted in a third space (e.g., a lower left space) of thedocking station 200, and a fourth display apparatus 100-4 may be mountedin a fourth space (e.g., a lower right space) of the docking station200.

The docking station 200 may be divided into a plurality of spacesdifferent from that of FIG. 3.

The plurality of display apparatuses 100-1 through 100-n may displayvarious images. The image may be a still image or a moving image, andthe plurality of display apparatuses 100-1 through 100-n may displayvarious images such as broadcast content, multimedia content, or thelike. In addition, the plurality of display apparatuses 100-1 through100-n may display a user interface (UI) and an icon.

For this operation, the plurality of display apparatuses 100-1 through100-n may include a timing controller, and the timing controller mayreceive an image signal from the processor 230. For example, a timingcontroller of the first display apparatus 100-1 may receive a firstimage signal corresponding to the first display apparatus 100-1 from theprocessor 230, a timing controller of the second display apparatus 100-2may receive a second image signal corresponding to the second displayapparatus 100-2 from the processor 230, a timing controller of the thirddisplay apparatus 100-3 may receive a third image signal correspondingto the third display apparatus 100-3 from the processor 230, and atiming controller of the fourth display apparatus 100-4 may receive afourth image corresponding to the fourth display apparatus 100-4 fromthe processor 230.

In addition, the timing controller included in the plurality of displayapparatuses 100-1 through 100-n may control an LED driver integratedcircuit (IC) included in each display apparatus 100-1 through 100-nbased on the image signal received from the processor 230, and the LEDdriver IC may display an image by controlling light emission of aplurality of pixels included in the plurality of display apparatuses100-1 through 100-n under control of the timing controller.

As an example, the LED driver IC included in the first display apparatus100-1 may display a first image by controlling the light emission of aplurality of pixels included in the first display apparatus 100-1 undercontrol of the timing controller included in the first display apparatus100-1, the LED driver IC included in the second display apparatus 100-2may display a second image by controlling the light emission of aplurality of pixels included in the second display apparatus 100-2 undercontrol of the timing controller included in the second displayapparatus 100-2, the LED driver IC included in the third displayapparatus 100-3 may display a third image by controlling the lightemission of a plurality of pixels included in the third displayapparatus 100-3 under control of the timing controller included in thethird display apparatus 100-3, and the LED driver IC included in thefourth display apparatus 100-4 may display a fourth image by controllingthe light emission of a plurality of pixels included in the fourthdisplay apparatus 100-4 under control of the timing controller includedin the fourth display apparatus 100-4.

For this operation, the plurality of display apparatuses 100-1 through100-n may receive power from a plurality of power boards 220 provided ineach space of the docking station 200. Specifically, each of theplurality of display apparatuses 100-1 through 100-n may include a boardfor receiving power, and the board for receiving power may be connectedto the interface of the power board 220 provided in each space of thedocking station 200, and receive power from the power board 220. Inaddition, the timing controller may be connected to the board forreceiving power, and may receive power from the board for receivingpower. According to an embodiment, a configuration for receiving powermay be included in the timing controller board.

In addition, the plurality of display apparatuses 100-1 through 100-nmay receive an image signal from a transmission board provided in eachspace of the docking station 200. Specifically, each of the plurality ofdisplay apparatuses 100-1 through 100-n may include a reception board,and an image signal may be transmitted to the reception board wirelesslythrough an antenna included in the transmission board. According toanother embodiment, the image signal may be transmitted by wire. Inaddition, the timing controller may be connected to the reception board,receive an image signal from the reception board, and display an imagebased on the image signal received from the reception board. Accordingto an embodiment, a configuration for receiving an image signal may beincluded in the timing controller board.

The plurality of display apparatuses 100-1 through 100-n may be realizedas various kinds of displays, such as a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD), anOrganic Light-Emitting Diode (OLED) display, a Liquid Crystal on Silicon(LCoS) display, a Digital Light Processing

(DLP) display, or the like. Further, the display may include a drivercircuit that may be realized as an A-Si thin-film transistor (TFT), alow temperature poly silicon (LTPS) TFT, an organic TFT (OTFT), abacklight unit, or the like.

The display module may be a touch screen including a touch sensor.

Referring to FIG. 2, the docking station 200 may include a back plate210, a board 220, and a processor 230.

The back plate 210 may be provided in each of the plurality of spaces ofthe docking station 200 and installed (or fixed) in one area of a frontsurface of the docking station 200 (e.g., a surface to which the displayapparatus 100 is coupled).

In addition, the back plate 210 may include a conductive member. Theconductive member may be, for example, iron, copper, aluminum, or thelike, but is not limited thereto.

In addition, the conductive member may be electrically connected to aground. For this operation, the back plate 210 may be implemented to begrounded with the ground, and a conductive member of the back plate 210may be positioned on the back plate 210 to be electrically connected tothe ground.

Depending on the embodiment, the above-described conductive member maybe a component of the back plate 210.

The conductive member may be disposed at different positions for each ofa plurality of spaces of the docking station 200.

For example, referring to FIG. 4, the docking station 200 may includefour spaces that can be combined with four display apparatuses 100-1,100-2, 100-3, and 100-4. In addition, back plates 211, 212, 213, and 214are disposed in each space, and the back plates 211, 212, 213, and 214of each space may include conductive members disposed at differentpositions.

Specifically, in the case of a first back plate 211, a conductive member1 may be located in an upper left area. In the case of a third backplate 213, conductive members 2 and 3 may be located in an upper leftarea and an upper right area. In the case of a fourth back plate 214, aconductive member 4 may be located in an upper right area.

Also, the back plate in one space may not include a conductive member.For example, the second back plate 212 of FIG. 4 may not include aconductive member.

The back plate 210 may further include a conductive member in one areaof the back plate 210 in addition to the conductive members 1, 2, 3, and4 described above.

For example, referring to FIG. 4, the first back plate 211 may furtherinclude four conductive members in addition to the first conductivemember 1, the third back plate 213 may further include four conductivemembers in addition to the second conductive member 2 and the thirdconductive member 3, and the fourth back plate 214 may further includefour conductive members four conductive members in addition to thefourth conductive member 4. In addition, the second back plate 212 mayalso further include four conductive members in an area other than theabove-described upper area.

The conductive members other than the conductive members 1, 2, 3, and 4may prevent the power board 220 from tilting at a certain slope when thepower board 220 is coupled to the back plate 210. According to anembodiment, the conductive members other than the conductive members 1,2, 3, and 4 may be implemented as non-conductive members.

The power board 220 may be coupled to the back plate 210. In oneembodiment, the power board 220 may be coupled to the back plate 210through a screw-type coupling unit, but is not necessarily limitedthereto, and the power board 220 may be coupled to the back plate 210through various types of coupling units such as a slice-type couplingunit. Accordingly, the power board 220 may be provided on the back plate210.

The power board 220 may include a plurality of conductive members.Specifically, the power board 220 may include a plurality of conductivemembers in a plurality of areas of the power board 220. The conductivemember may be, for example, a copper foil, but is not limited thereto.

Referring to FIG. 5, the power board 220 may include a first conductivemember 221-1 on the upper left area, and include a second conductivemember 221-2 in the upper right area. According to an embodiment, asshown in FIG. 5, the power board 220 may further include a plurality ofconductive members under the first conductive member 221-1 and thesecond conductive member 221-2.

In addition, the power board 220 may include an interface 240 includinga plurality of pins. Here, the pin may be, for example, a pogo pin, butis not limited thereto.

In addition, some pins of the interface 240 may be electricallyconnected to a conductive member of the power board 220.

For example, referring to FIG. 5, a first pin 240-1 may be electricallyconnected to the first conductive member 221-1, and a second pin 240-2may be electrically connected to the second conductive member 221-2.

In addition, different signals may be applied to the pins electricallyconnected to the conductive member of the power board 220 according towhether the conductive member of the power board 220 and the conductivemember of the back plate 210 are in contact with each other.

Specifically, when the conductive member of the power board 220 and theconductive member of the back plate 210 are in contact with each other,a low signal may be applied to a pin electrically connected to theconductive member of the power board 220. For example, when theconductive member of the power board 220 and the conductive member ofthe back plate 210 are in contact with each other, a voltage of 0 V maybe applied to a pin electrically connected to the conductive member ofthe power board 220.

As described above, the conductive member of the back plate 210 is in agrounded state. When the conductive member of the power board 220contacts the conductive member of the back plate 210, a low signal maybe applied to the pin electrically connected to the conductive member ofthe power board 220.

When the conductive member of the power board 220 and the conductivemember of the back plate 210 are not in contact each other, a highsignal may be applied to the pin electrically connected to theconductive member of the power board 220. For example, when theconductive member of the power board 220 and the conductive member ofthe back plate 210 are not in contact, a voltage greater than zero maybe applied to the pin electrically connected to the conductive member ofthe power board 220.

For this operation, the conductive member of the power board 220 may beelectrically connected to a pull-up resistor. In addition, a high signalcorresponding to a voltage (e.g., 3.3V, etc.) applied to the pull-upresistor may be applied to the pin electrically connected to theconductive member of the power board 220.

As described above, the conductive member of the back plate 210 may bedisposed at different positions for each of the plurality of spaces ofthe docking station 200.

Accordingly, signals applied to the pins of the power board 220 may bedifferent for each of the plurality of spaces.

For example, a case in which a power board 220 of FIG. 5 is coupled tothe back plates 211, 212, 213, and 214 of FIG. 4 will be described. Inthis case, a low signal may be applied to the first pin 240-1 of thepower board 220 coupled to the first back plate 211 based on contactwith the first conductive member 221-1 and the conductive member 1(1),and a high signal may be applied to the second pin 240-2 since there isno conductive member in contact with the second conductive member 221-2.

Since there is no conductive member in contact with the first conductivemember 221-1 and the second conductive member 221-2, a low signal may beapplied to the first and second pins 240-1 and 240-2 of the power board220 coupled to the second back plate 212.

A low signal may be applied to the first pin 240-1 of the power board220 coupled to the third back plate 213 based on the contact with thefirst conductive member 221-1 and the conductive member 2(2), and a lowsignal may be applied to the second pin 240-2 based on the contactbetween the second conductive member 221-2 and the conductive member3(3).

Since the first pin 240-1 of the power board 220 coupled to the fourthback plate 214 does not have a conductive member in contact with thefirst conductive member 221-1, a high signal may be applied, and a lowsignal may be applied to the second pin 240-2 based on the contactbetween the second conductive member 221-2 and the conductive member4(4).

Although it has been described that the conductive member is included inthe power board 220, the conductive member may be included in a boardseparate from the power board 220.

The description above will be described based on an area of the backplate 210 and an area of the power board 220 as follows.

As described above, a plurality of conductive members may be included inthe plurality of areas of the power board 220. For example, referring toFIG. 5, the first conductive member 221-1 may be included in the firstarea of the power board 220, and the second conductive member 221-2 maybe included in the second area of the power board 220.

In addition, different signals may be applied to pins connected to theconductive member of the power board 220 among the plurality of pinsincluded in the interface 240 of the power board 220, depending onwhether electrical contact between the plurality of conductive membersprovided in the plurality of areas of the power board 220 and theplurality of areas of the back plate 210 corresponding to the pluralityof areas.

Specifically, when the conductive member provided in the first area ofthe plurality of areas of the power board 220 is in electrical contactwith the second area corresponding to the first area of the plurality ofareas of the back plate 210, a low signal may be applied to a pinelectrically connected to the conductive member provided in the firstarea.

For example, when the power board 220 of FIG. 5 is coupled to the firstback plate 211 of FIG. 4, the first conductive member 221-1 provided inthe first area may be electrically contacted with the second area of thefirst back plate 211 corresponding to the first area (e.g., the areawhere the conductive member 1(1) is located), and thus a low signal maybe applied to the first pin 1 240-1 electrically connected to the firstconductive member 221-1 provided in the first area.

In addition, when the conductive member provided in the first area ofthe plurality of areas of the power board 220 does not electricallycontact the second area corresponding to the first area of the pluralityof areas of the back plate 210, a high signal may be applied to a pinelectrically connected to the conductive member provided in the firstarea.

For example, when the power board 220 of FIG. 5 is coupled to the firstback plate 211 of FIG. 4, the second conductive member 221-2 provided inthe first area may not be electrically connected to the second area ofthe first back plate 211 (e.g., an upper right area where the conductivemember is not located), and thus, a high signal may be applied to thesecond pin 240-2 electrically connected to the second conductive member221-2 provided in the first area.

In addition, the area of the back plate 210 electrically coupled to theplurality of conductive members of the power board 220 may be differentfor each of the plurality of back plates according to the location ofthe space in which the back plate 210 is provided in the docking station200.

For example, referring to FIG. 4, among the plurality of areas of thefirst back plate 211, an area in electrical contact with the pluralityof conductive members of the power board 220 may be an upper left area.There may be no areas in electrical contact with the plurality ofconductive members of the power board 220 among the plurality of areasof the second back plate 212. Among the plurality of areas of the thirdback plate 213, an area in electrical contact with the plurality ofconductive members of the power board 220 may be an upper left area anda right upper area. Among the plurality of areas of the fourth backplate 214, an area in electrical contact with the plurality ofconductive members of the power board 220 may be an upper right area.

The processor 230 controls overall operations of the display apparatus1000. The processor 230 may include one or more of a central processingunit (CPU), an application processor (AP), and communication processor(CP). Alternatively, the processor 230 may be a field programmable gatearray (FPGA) designed or programmed to implement various functions to bedescribed below.

The processor 230 may, for example, control a number of hardware orsoftware elements connected to the processor 230 by driving an operatingsystem or application program, and perform various data processing andcalculations. Further, the processor 230 may load and process a commandor data received from at least one of the other components to a volatilememory and store diverse data in a non-volatile memory.

The processor 230 may transmit a plurality of signals to the pluralityof display apparatuses 100-1 through 100-n. The signal may be an imagesignal, and may be a variety of signals for controlling the plurality ofdisplay apparatuses 100-1 through 100-n (e.g., an on signal, an offsignal, an Internet Protocol (IP) setting signal, etc.)

Specifically, the processor 230 may transmit an image signalcorresponding to a location of a space in which each display apparatusis mounted from the docking station 200 to each display apparatus.

For this operation, the processor 230 may identify a space (orcoordinates) in which each display apparatus is mounted in the dockingstation 200.

Specifically, the processor 230 may identify a space where each displayapparatus is mounted based on a signal applied to at least one pinelectrically connected to the conductive member among a plurality ofpins included in the interface 240 of the power board 220.

As described above, one of a low signal and a high signal may be appliedto a pin electrically connected to the conductive member among theplurality of pins of the power board 220, based on whether or not theback plate 210 is in contact.

For example, when a low signal is referred to as “0” and a high signalis referred to as “1,” a signal of “0” or “1” may be applied to a pinelectrically connected to the conductive member of the power board 220.

In this case, the processor 230 may identify a space in which thedisplay apparatus connected to the power board 220 is mounted, based onthe signal applied to the pin of the power board 220.

Specifically, the processor 230 may identify a space in which thedisplay apparatus is mounted, based on a table in which information ondifferent spaces is matched for each combination of the low signal andthe high signal.

For example, the modular display apparatus 1000 of the disclosure maystore a table in which information on different spaces is matched foreach combination of a low signal and a high signal, as shown in FIG. 6.

In this case, when a low signal is applied to the first pin 240-1 of thepower board 220 and a high signal is applied to the second pin 240-2,the processor 230 may identify that the corresponding power board 220 islocated in the upper left space of the plurality of spaces of thedocking station 200 (alternatively, the processor may identify that thedisplay apparatus 100 connected to the corresponding power board 220 ismounted in the upper left space of the plurality of spaces of thedocking station 200). When a high signal is applied to the first pin240-1 of the power board 220 and a high signal is applied to the secondpin 240-2, the processor may identify that the power board 220 islocated in the upper right space among the plurality of spaces of thedocking station 200 (alternatively, the processor may identify that thedisplay apparatus 100 connected to the corresponding power board 220 ismounted in the upper right space among the plurality of spaces of thedocking station 200). When a low signal is applied to the first pin240-1 of the power board 220 and a low signal is applied to the secondpin 240-2, the processor may identify that the power board 220 islocated in the lower left space among the plurality of spaces of thedocking station 200 (alternatively, the processor may identify that thedisplay apparatus 100 connected to the corresponding power board 220 ismounted in the lower left space of the plurality of spaces of thedocking station 200). When a high signal is applied to the first pin240-1 of the power board 220 and a low signal is applied to the secondpin 240-2, the processor may identify that the power board 220 islocated in the lower right space among the plurality of spaces 200 of tothe docking station 200 (alternatively, the processor may identify thatthe display apparatus 100 connected to the corresponding power board 220is mounted in the lower right space among the plurality of spaces of thedocking station 200). The table of FIG. 6 is an embodiment, and theindex of FIG. 6 may be different according to other embodiments.

Further, the processor 230 may transmit a plurality of image signals tothe plurality of display apparatuses 100-1 through 100-n based oninformation on a space in which the plurality of display apparatuses100-1 through 100-n are mounted.

Specifically, the processor 230 may divide an image received from theoutside or a previously stored image into a plurality of images based oninformation on a space in which a plurality of display apparatuses 100-1through 100-n are mounted. In addition, the processor 230 may transmitthe plurality of divided images to the plurality of display apparatuses100-1 through 100-n based on information on the space in which theplurality of display apparatuses 100-1 through 100-n are mounted.

For example, when the plurality of display apparatuses 100-1, 100-2,100-3, and 100-4 in a 2×2 array as shown in FIG. 3 are mounted on thedocking station 200, the processor 230 may divide the image into thefirst image corresponding to the first display apparatus 100-1 mountedin the upper left space, the second image corresponding to the seconddisplay apparatus 100-2 mounted in the upper right space, the thirdimage corresponding to the third display apparatus 100-3 mounted in thelower left space, and the fourth image corresponding to the fourthdisplay apparatus 100-4 mounted in the lower right space. Further, theprocessor 230 may transmit the first image to the first displayapparatus 100-1, transmit the second image to the second displayapparatus 100-2, and transmit the third image to the third displayapparatus 100-3, and transmit the fourth image to the fourth displayapparatus 100-4.

Accordingly, the plurality of display apparatuses 100-1 through 100-nmounted in each space of the docking station 200 may display an imagebased on the image signal. In other words, the plurality of displayapparatuses 100-1 through 100-n may display a partial imagecorresponding to a location of a space in which each display apparatusis mounted from among the entire images.

The image transmission may be transmitted to the display apparatusthrough a transmission board provided in each space of the dockingstation 200.

Specifically, the processor 230 may transmit an image signalcorresponding to each display apparatus to a transmission board providedin each space, and the transmission board provided in each space maytransmit the image signal to the display apparatus. The image signal maybe wirelessly transmitted to the display apparatus through an antennaincluded in the transmission board. However, according to an embodiment,the transmission board may be connected to the display apparatus througha cable, and may transmit the image signal to the display apparatusthrough the cable.

The processor 230 may receive a signal applied to the pin of the powerboard 220 electrically connected to the conductive member from thetransmission board.

Specifically, the transmission board described above may be connected tothe power board 220 through a first interface, and receive signalsapplied to the pins of the power board 220 electrically connected to theconductive member from the power board 220 through the first interface.In addition, the transmission board may be connected to the processor230 through a second interface, and transmit signals applied to the pinof the power board 220 electrically connected to the conductive memberto the processor 230 through the second interface.

However, this is only an embodiment, and the processor 230 may beconnected to the power board 220 and may receive signals applied to thepin of the power board 220 from the power board 220.

The processor 230 may supply power to the display apparatus through pinsother than pins electrically connected to the conductive member amongthe plurality of pins included in the power board 220.

Specifically, when a low signal is applied to at least one pin among theplurality of pins included in the interface 240, as the displayapparatus is connected (or contacted) to the interface 240, theprocessor 230 may supply power to the display apparatus through theinterface 240.

As an example, referring to FIG. 7, the processor 230 may monitor(operation S610) at least one pin (e.g., a third pin) of the power board220 in contact with a pin included in the board for receiving power ofthe display apparatus 100.

The third pin may be a different pin from the first pin 221-1 and thesecond pin 221-2 described above.

In addition, in a state in which the first signal is applied to thethird pin of the power board 220, as the pin included in the board forreceiving power of the display apparatus 100 and the third pin contacteach other, a second signal is applied to the third pin. The processor230 may control a switching mode power supply (SMPS) 250 to supply powerto the display apparatus (operation S620).

As an example, in a state in which a high signal is applied to the thirdpin of the power board 220, as the display apparatus contacts the powerboard 220, when a low signal is applied to the third pin, the processormay control the SMPS 250 to supply power to the display apparatus. Forthis operation, the third pin may be electrically connected to thepull-up resistor, and the pin of the display apparatus 100 in contactwith the third pin may be electrically connected to the ground.

Accordingly, power may be supplied to the power board 220 (operationS630), and the power board 220 may supply power to the display apparatusin contact with the interface 240 of the power board 220.

In other words, the docking station 200 may supply power to the displayapparatus 100 after the display apparatus 100 is mounted on the dockingstation 200.

Accordingly, the embodiment of the disclosure prevents unnecessary powerconsumption, and in particular, it is possible to prevent oxidation ofthe contact surface of the power board 220 that may occur when thedisplay apparatus 100 contacts the power board 220 in a state in whichpower is not discharged.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating a modular display apparatusaccording to an embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 8, a modular display apparatus 1000 according to anembodiment of the disclosure may include a first display apparatus100-1, a second display apparatus 100-2, an n-th display apparatus100-n, a storage 1110, a communication interface 1120, a microphone1130, a speaker 1140, an input component 1150, and a processor 1160. Inaddition, the modular display apparatus 1000 may further include a backplate 210, a power board 220, and a transmission board. Hereinafter,portions overlapping with the above description will be omitted orabbreviated.

The storage 1110 may store an operating system (OS) for controlling theoverall operation of components of the modular display apparatus 1000and commands or data related to components of the modular displayapparatus 1000.

Accordingly, the processor 1160 may control a plurality of hardwarecomponents or software elements of the display apparatus 1000 by usingdiverse commands or data in the storage 1110, load and process a commandor data received from at least one of the other components in a volatilethe memory, and store diverse data in a non-volatile memory.

The storage 1110 may be implemented with various types of storage media.For example, the storage 1110 may be implemented as a nonvolatile memorydevice such as read only memory (ROM), programmable read only memory(PROM), erasable programmable read only memory (EPROM), a flash memory,or may be implemented as a volatile memory device such as random accessmemory (RAM), or a storage device such as a hard disk or an opticaldisk.

The processor 1160 controls overall operations of the display apparatus1000.

The processor 1160 may, for example, control a number of hardware orsoftware elements connected to the processor 1160 by driving anoperating system or application program, and perform various dataprocessing and calculations. Further, the processor 1160 may load andprocess a command or data received from at least one of the othercomponents to a volatile memory and store diverse data in a non-volatilememory.

For this operation, the processor 1160 may be realized a dedicatedprocessor for performing functions (e.g., an embedded processor) or ageneric-purpose processor for performing functions by running one ormore software programs stored in a memory device (e.g., a CPU or anapplication processor). In addition, the processor 1160 may be includedin the modular display apparatus 1000, and may be included in a controlbox connected to the modular display apparatus 1000. In addition, theprocessor 1160 may be electrically connected to a plurality ofprocessors of the plurality of display apparatuses 100-1 through 100-n.

The processor 1160 may divide an image into a plurality of imagescorresponding to a plurality of display apparatuses in order to displaythe image received from an electronic device (e.g., a set-top box)through each of the plurality of display apparatuses. Further, theprocessor 1160 may transmit the plurality of divided images to theplurality of display apparatuses.

Specifically, the processor 1160 may be electrically connected to aplurality of power boards through a plurality of connectors. Further,the processor 1160 may obtain location information of the plurality ofpower boards electrically connected to the plurality of connectors,based on a signal applied to a pin of a power board electricallyconnected to a conductive member. For example, when a low signal isoutput from the first pin electrically connected to the conductivemember and a high signal is output from the second pin electricallyconnected to the conductive member, the processor 230 may identify thatthe power board is located in the upper left space of the plurality ofspaces of the docking station.

Further, the processor 1160 may transmit signals for controlling theplurality of display apparatuses connected to a plurality of interfacesof the plurality of power boards to the plurality of display apparatusesthrough a plurality of connectors based on the location information.

As an example, the processor 1160 may transit an image signalcorresponding to a location of a space in which each display apparatusis mounted in a docking station to a plurality of transmission boards,and the plurality of transmission boards may transmit the image signalreceived from the processor 1160 to the plurality of displayapparatuses, based on the location information. Accordingly, each of theplurality of display apparatuses may display an image based on the imagesignal received from each of the plurality of transmission boards.

The communication interface 1120 may transmit and receive various databy performing communication with an external device. For example, thecommunication interface 1120 may receive information regarding an imageby communicating with the external device such as a smart phone, orreceive a signal for controlling the modular display apparatus 1000 or asignal for controlling the external device. For this operation, thecommunication interface 1120 may include a wireless communication chip,a Wi-Fi chip, a Bluetooth chip, or the like.

The microphone 1130 may receive a user voice. Here, the user voice maybe a voice for executing a specific function of the modular displayapparatus 1000.

When the user voice for executing a specific function is receivedthrough the microphone 1130, the processor 1160 may convert the uservoice into a digital signal through a speech to text (STT) algorithm andprovide response information corresponding to the user voice. Theresponse information may be received through an external server and mayalso be generated by the modular display apparatus 1000 itself.

The speaker 1140 may output various audio signals on which variousprocessing tasks such as decoding, amplification, and noise filteringare performed by an audio processing unit. In addition, the speaker 1140may output various notification sounds or voice messages.

The input component 1150 may be implemented as a touch screen, a touchpad, a key button, a keypad, or the like.

In addition, the modular display apparatus 1000 may further include aUSB port to which a USB connector is connected, various external inputports for connecting various external terminals such as a headset,mouse, and LAN, and a Digital Multimedia Broadcasting (DMB) chip thatreceives and processes a DMB signal.

In addition, the modular display apparatus 1000 may further include abroadcast receiver for receiving a broadcast signal by wire orwirelessly from a broadcasting station or satellite, a signal separatorthat separates the broadcast signal received from the broadcast receiverinto a video signal, an audio signal, and an additional informationsignal, and an A/V processing unit that performs video decoding andvideo scaling on an image signal and audio decoding on an audio signal.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating a method of controlling a modulardisplay apparatus according to an embodiment. Hereinafter, portionsoverlapping with the above description will be omitted or abbreviated.

The modular display apparatus 1000 of the disclosure may identify asignal applied to at least one pin among a plurality of pins included ineach interface of a plurality of power boards (operation S910).

Specifically, the modular display apparatus 1000 of the disclosure mayinclude a docking station divided into a plurality of spaces, aplurality of back plates provided in the plurality of spaces of thedocking station, and a plurality of power boards provided on theplurality of back plates, and a plurality of conductive members may beincluded in a plurality of areas of each of the plurality of powerboards.

The plurality of conductive members may be connected to at least one ofthe plurality of pins of the power board, and the plurality of areas ofthe back plate may be connected to ground.

Accordingly, different signals may be applied to at least one pin of theplurality of pins of the power board according to electrical contactbetween the plurality of conductive members provided in the plurality ofareas of the power board and the plurality of areas of the back platecorresponding to the plurality of areas.

Specifically, when the conductive member provided in a first area of theplurality of areas of the power board is in electrical contact with asecond area corresponding to the first area of the plurality of areas ofthe back plate, a low signal may be applied to a pin electricallyconnected to a conductive member provided in the first area among the atleast one pin, and when the conductive member provided in a first areaof the plurality of areas of the power board is not in electricalcontact with a second area corresponding to the first area of theplurality of areas of the back plate, a high signal may be applied to apin electrically connected to a conductive member provided in the firstarea among the at least one pin.

Further, the modular display apparatus 1000 of the disclosure maycontrol a plurality of display apparatuses connected to respectiveinterfaces of the plurality of power boards based on a signal applied tothe at least one pin described above (operation S920).

Specifically, the area of the back plate in electrical contact with theplurality of conductive members of the power board may be different foreach of the plurality of back plates according to a location of a spacein which the back plate is provided in the docking station.

Accordingly, different signals may be applied to the pins of each powerboard disposed in different spaces of the docking station, and themodular display apparatus 1000 of the disclosure may identify a space inwhich the display apparatus is mounted based on a table in whichinformation on different spaces is matched for each combination of thelow signal and the high signal.

Further, the modular display apparatus 1000 of the disclosure may dividean image into a plurality of images corresponding to a plurality ofdisplay apparatuses based on information on a space in which the displayapparatus is mounted, and transmit the divided plurality of images intothe plurality of display apparatuses.

A non-transitory computer-readable medium in which a programsequentially performing the controlling method according to thedisclosure is stored may be provided.

The non-transitory computer-readable medium refers to a medium thatstores data semi-permanently and may be read by a device. In detail, theabove-described various applications or programs may be stored in thenon-transitory computer-readable medium such as, for example, a compactdisc (CD), a digital versatile disc (DVD), a hard disc, a Blu-ray disc,a universal serial bus (USB), a memory card, a read only memory (ROM),and the like.

Although the embodiments of the disclosure have been disclosed forillustrative purposes, those skilled in the art will appreciate thatvarious modifications, additions, and substitutions are possible,without departing from the scope and spirit of the disclosure asdisclosed in the accompanying claims. Accordingly, such modifications,additions, and substitutions should also be understood to fall withinthe scope of the disclosure.

What is claimed is:
 1. A modular display apparatus comprising: a dockingstation having a plurality of spaces; a plurality of back platesprovided in the plurality of spaces; a plurality of power boardsprovided on the plurality of back plates, each power board of theplurality of power boards including an interface including a pluralityof pins; a plurality of display apparatuses connected to the interfacesof the plurality of power boards and mounted in the plurality of spaces;and a processor, wherein a plurality of first areas of the plurality ofpower boards includes a plurality of conductive members, whereindifferent signals are applied to at least one pin of the plurality ofpins according to whether electrical contact exists between theplurality of conductive members provided in the plurality of first areasand a plurality of second areas of the plurality of back platescorresponding to the plurality of first areas, wherein the processor isconfigured to control the plurality of display apparatuses based on asignal applied to the at least one pin included in the respectiveinterfaces, and wherein remaining pins other than the at least one pinincluded in the respective interfaces are configured to provide power torespective display apparatuses connected to the respective interfaces ofthe power boards.
 2. The modular display apparatus of claim 1, whereinbased on a conductive member provided in a first area among theplurality of first areas of a power board being in electrical contactwith a second area among the plurality of second areas of a back platecorresponding to the first area, a low signal is applied to a pinelectrically connected to the conductive member provided in the firstarea among the at least one pin, and wherein based on the conductivemember provided in the first area among the plurality of first areas ofthe power board not being in electrical contact with a second area amongthe plurality of second areas of the back plate corresponding to thefirst area, a high signal is applied to the pin electrically connectedto the conductive member provided in the first area among the at leastone pin.
 3. The modular display apparatus of claim 2, wherein theplurality of first areas of the back plate are configured to beconnected to a ground, wherein in an absence of electrical contact, avoltage greater than zero is applied to the at least one pin, andwherein in a presence of electrical contact, a voltage of zero isapplied to the at least one pin as the at least one pin that isconnected to the ground.
 4. The modular display apparatus of claim 1,wherein areas of the plurality of back plates in electrical contact withthe plurality of conductive members of the power board is different foreach back plate of the plurality of back plates according to a locationof a space in which the back plate is provided in the docking station.5. The modular display apparatus of claim 1, further comprising: aplurality of transmission boards connected to the plurality of powerboards and the processor, the plurality of transmission boards beingconfigured to transmit respective images to the plurality of displayapparatuses, wherein the signal applied to the at least one pin istransmitted to the processor through the plurality of transmissionboards, wherein the processor is configured to transmit a respectiveimage signal corresponding to a respective location of a respectivespace in which each respective display apparatus is mounted in thedocking station based on a respective applied signal to the respectivedisplay apparatuses through the plurality of transmission boards, andwherein each display apparatus of the plurality of display apparatusesis configured to display a respective image based on the respectiveimage signal received from a respective transmission board.
 6. Themodular display apparatus of claim 5, wherein the image displayed byeach display apparatus of the display apparatuses based on image signalsreceived from each transmission board of the plurality of transmissionboards is a partial image corresponding to a location of a space inwhich each display apparatus is mounted in the docking station among theimages displayed through the plurality of display apparatuses.
 7. Themodular display apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor isconfigured to, based on a signal change occurring in the at least onepin of the plurality of pins as the display apparatus is connected tothe interface, supply power to the display apparatus connected to theinterface of the power board through the remaining pins.
 8. The modulardisplay apparatus of claim 7, wherein the processor is configured to,based on a low signal being applied to the at least one pin as thedisplay apparatus is connected to the interface, supply power to thedisplay apparatus connected to the interface of the power board throughthe remaining pins.
 9. The modular display apparatus of claim 1, whereinthe processor is configured to: electrically connect to the plurality ofpower boards through a plurality of connectors, based on the signalapplied to the at least one pin, acquire location information of theplurality of power boards electrically connected to the plurality ofconnectors, and transmit signals for controlling the plurality ofdisplay apparatuses connected to the interfaces of the plurality ofpower boards to the plurality of display apparatuses through theplurality of connectors based on the location information.
 10. Themodular display apparatus of claim 9, wherein the processor isconfigured to: based on the location information, transmit an imagesignal corresponding to a location of a space in which each displayapparatus is mounted from the docking station to a plurality oftransmission boards, and wherein each display apparatus of the pluralityof display apparatuses is configured to display images based on theimage signal received from each transmission board of the plurality oftransmission boards.
 11. A method of controlling a modular displayapparatus, the method comprising: identifying a signal applied to atleast one pin of a plurality of pins included in respective interfacesof a plurality of power boards; and based on the signal applied to theat least one pin, controlling a plurality of display apparatusesconnected to the respective interfaces of the plurality of power boards,wherein the modular display apparatus comprises: a docking stationhaving a plurality of spaces; a plurality of back plates provided in theplurality of spaces; and the plurality of display apparatuses connectedto the respective interfaces and mounted in the plurality of spaces,wherein the plurality of power boards are provided on the plurality ofback plates, wherein a plurality of first areas of the plurality ofpower boards includes a plurality of conductive members, whereindifferent signals are applied to the at least one pin of the pluralityof pins according to whether electrical contact exists between theplurality of conductive members provided in the plurality of first areasand a plurality of second areas of the plurality of back platescorresponding to the plurality of first areas, wherein remaining pinsother than the at least one pin included in the respective interfacesare configured to provide power to the respective display apparatusesconnected to the respective interfaces of the power boards.
 12. Themethod of claim 11, wherein based on a conductive member provided in afirst area among the plurality of first areas of the power board beingin electrical contact with a second area among the plurality of secondareas of a back plate corresponding to the first area, a low signal isapplied to a pin electrically connected to the conductive memberprovided in the first area among the at least one pin, and wherein basedon the conductive member provided in the first area among the pluralityof first areas of the power board not being in electrical contact with asecond area among the plurality of second areas of the back platecorresponding to the first area, a high signal is applied to the pinelectrically connected to the conductive member provided in the firstarea among the at least one pin.
 13. The method of claim 12, wherein theplurality of first areas of the back plate are configured to beconnected to a ground, wherein in an absence of electrical contact, avoltage greater than zero is applied to the at least one pin, andwherein in a presence of electrical contact, a voltage of zero isapplied to the at least one pin as the at least one pin that isconnected to the ground.
 14. The method of claim 11, wherein areas ofthe plurality of back plates in electrical contact with the plurality ofconductive members of the power board is different for each back plateof the plurality of back plates according to a location of a space inwhich the back plate is provided in the docking station.
 15. The methodof claim 11, further comprising: transmitting a respective image signalcorresponding to a respective location of a respective space in whicheach respective display apparatus is mounted in the docking stationbased on a respective applied signal to the respective displayapparatuses through a plurality of transmission boards, and wherein eachdisplay apparatus of the plurality of display apparatuses is configuredto display a respective image based on the respective image signalreceived from a respective transmission board of the plurality oftransmission boards.
 16. The method of claim 15, wherein the imagedisplayed by each display apparatus of the display apparatuses based onimage signals received from each transmission board of the plurality oftransmission boards is a partial image corresponding to a location of aspace in which each display apparatus is mounted in the docking stationamong the images displayed through the plurality of display apparatuses.17. The method of claim 11, wherein the supplying power comprises, basedon a signal change occurring in the at least one pin of the plurality ofpins as the display apparatus is connected to the interface, supplyingpower to the display apparatus connected to the interface of the powerboard through the remaining pins.
 18. The method of claim 17, whereinthe supplying power comprises, based on a low signal being applied tothe at least one pin as the display apparatus is connected to theinterface, supplying power to the display apparatus connected to theinterface of the power board through the remaining pins.
 19. The methodof claim 11, further comprising: based on the signal applied to the atleast one pin, acquiring location information of the plurality of powerboards electrically connected to a plurality of connectors, andtransmitting signals for controlling the plurality of displayapparatuses connected to the interfaces of the plurality of power boardsto the plurality of display apparatuses through the plurality ofconnectors based on the location information.
 20. The method of claim19, wherein the transmitting comprises, based on the locationinformation, transmitting an image signal corresponding to a location ofa space in which each display apparatus is mounted from the dockingstation to a plurality of transmission boards, and wherein each displayapparatus of the plurality of display apparatuses is configured todisplay images based on the image signal received from each transmissionboard of the plurality of transmission boards.